


Ave Atque Vale

by Hyasinthum



Category: RWBY
Genre: Clover Ebi (kinda?), Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Spoilers: Volume 7 (RWBY), anyway this is me coping with v7c12, fair game, i'm new at this and i don't know how to tag, in this house we process our emotions in a constructive way, no beta readers we fight like men, uhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22432444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyasinthum/pseuds/Hyasinthum
Summary: Qrow pays Clover a long-overdue visit.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	Ave Atque Vale

**Author's Note:**

> hey so what the FUCK was that last episode

“Hey. It’s been a while.”

Qrow shuffled forward, picking at the stems of the flowers in his hands. “Sorry it took me so long to get here. It’s been a rough few months.”

Qrow let the silence drag on, studying the bouquet he held. It was simple. Pretty. The pinks and reds and whites complemented each other nicely. He was grateful for the florist’s advice. He didn’t know jack shit about flowers.

“I, uh… I hope you like carnations. I was told that they’re the right flower for the occasion.”

He knelt in the grass and placed the bouquet on top of the gravestone. He frowned and repositioned it a few times. None of his bouquet placements looked right,  _ felt _ right. He sighed and picked the bouquet up again before planting his butt on the grass and leaning back against the headstone.

“You got a nice view here, Clover. Wish you could see it. It’s all green and bright and shit. Sunrise is nice too, I guess. The sky’s a weird orangey-pink. I actually think it kinda looks like vomit, but I’ve never been a morning person anyway. I know you would like it, though.”

The birds, having awakened hours ago, were chirping at full volume. Qrow closed his eyes and listened to them, the one thing about mornings that he actually kinda enjoyed.

“You know,” he began after a while, “I never knew you were from Argus. Makes sense, port city and all. I got to see your dad’s fishing boat. I was wondering why the hell you were so good with a fishing rod as a weapon. Your dad told me that you were reeling ‘em in with him as soon as you could walk. He’s a great guy, really charming. I see where you got it from.”

Qrow picked at his bouquet, watching the carnations’ petals fall to the ground. He liked how the red ones looked against the grass.

“Delivering the news of your… It was rough, talking to your dad that first time. I almost didn’t want to do it. But I had to. I made some stupid decisions that cost you your life, and I wanted to look him in the eye and say I was sorry. I’ve never seen a person look so lost. Then he got angry with me. Naturally. But after he cooled off, we chatted a bit. He told me stories about you." Qrow smiled a little. "Your dad is so proud of you, Shamrock. Of what you've made of yourself, of who you've become. He really hopes that you knew that."

Had to fight James for his contact info, though. But he gave it to me.” His voice took on a bitter note. “It was the least he could do. After everything.”

A soft breeze blew through the graveyard, rustling the trees and Qrow’s hair. His expression hardened, brows drawing low.

"I haven't found that psychotic little shit-stain yet. But don't worry, I'm working on it. I think I'm getting close to figuring out where their home base is. And when I find him, I'll kill the motherfucker with his own tail. Gods, I can't wait to make him bleed." Qrow blinked, surprised at the rough, sharp tone that his voice had taken. "Never thought that I was the vengeance type. Not until now. But Clover, I  _ promise _ you that piece of shit is gonna pay for what he did. I know you probably wouldn't care much about being avenged, but I gotta do this. Not just for you. For me. For my niece. For all of the people at that rally, and all of his other victims. Blood for blood. I guess my tribe was right about some things after all."

Qrow, finally noticing the tension that had been building in his body, took a deep breath and tried to relax his muscles. He unclenched his hands, revealing a crushed bundle of flowers. He chuckled sheepishly.

"Oops. Forgot I was holding those. Sorry." He gently set the flowers down next to him, propping them against the corner of the gravestone. Tucking his chin to his chest, he closed his eyes and resumed listening to the birds. Their cheerful song soothed him enough to doze off.

Several minutes later, Qrow was awakened by a ping from his scroll. Groggy and uncoordinated, he fumbled in his pockets for it and opened the message. It was from Yang.

_ hey uncle qrow, _ it read, _ we gotta get a move on. i've got a lead on the summer maiden and i wanna hit the road asap _

_ Got it, kiddo, _ he replied.  _ I'll be back in a few hours. _

"Guess that's my cue," Qrow said, heaving himself to his feet and dusting his pants off. "I'm sorry again that I didn't come when I visited your dad. Things were too raw, and I couldn't handle it. But I'm here now. And I'll be back again." He crouched in front of the gravestone once more. He pressed a kiss to his own fingers and brushed them across the letters etched in the stone.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out a thin cord with a little cross on it. He placed it next to the crushed flowers. "Figured I'd give my necklace to you, since I kept your pin. It's only fair."

He stood once more. "Until next time," he murmured. And with a flutter of his cape, Qrow strolled out of the graveyard.

~~~~~

Hours later, as Qrow returned to the campsite he shared with teams RWBY and ORNJ, he spotted a four leaf clover in the grass. He plucked it and tucked it into his breast pocket with Clover's pin. A small smile tugged at his mouth.

"Lucky me."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this death KILLED me and i'm sad, but i respect rooster teeth's right to tell their story the way they want. even if i don't agree with all of their choices, i trust them to tell a good story overall. they better reimburse me for my clown wig, though


End file.
